Restaurants

Appetizers

Bar

Bar Menu

Editors, downstate•• We have raved many times about the crab cakes at Nantuckets Restaurant, so we’ll say no more than they are especially good when enjoyed in the bar. So are fresh oysters on the half shell. So are the paninis. So is the lobster macaroni and cheese. •• 601 Coastal Hwy., Fenwick Island, 539-2607

Beer Selection

Bistro

Editors, downstate•• Petite, casual JAM Bistro by Eden is the perfect stop for happy hour or a cozy dinner after a show at Clear Space Theatre Company. The wine list is robust, but it’s the house-made infusions that appear in many of the cocktails that give JAM the edge. Diners slurp fresh oysters, enjoy tender short ribs and burgers, and fight over the last bite of Key lime pie. •• 21 Baltimore Ave., Rehoboth Beach, 226-5266

Brunch

Brunch with a View

Editors, downstate ••Victoria’s Restaurant offers something almost no other place at the beach can: a view of the ocean from almost every seat in the house. For an even better view, ask for a table on the boardwalk patio. The menu offers all the breakfast standards and a few with a twist, such as creamed chipped duck and cinnamon bun French toast. •• 2 Olive Ave. and the Boardwalk, Rehoboth Beach, 227-7169

Charcuterie and Cheese Plate

Editors, downstate•• We are powerless over a good duck pâté, so we were pleased to see the foie gras torchon on the menu at The Buttery. Other choices: octopus terrine, swordfish pastrami and a handful of cheeses that cover the bases: cow’s milk, goat’s milk, blue, soft and firm. You get the idea. •• 102 Second St., Lewes, 645-7755

Crab Cakes

Editors, downstate•• At Just Hooked, your perfectly broiled cakes are fat with lumps of Maryland blue crab and seasoned sublimely. Served with smoky roasted fingerling potatoes and fresh greens in a lemony vinaigrette, they make one of the best meals at the beach, period. Better yet, the price is right. •• 1500 Coastal Hwy., Fenwick Island, 581-0098

Crab House

Editors, downstate•• Clean, bright and lively, The Blue Crab is a perfect place to sit and pick, a vital part of many family vacations, as well as a favorite among locals. A consistently good supply of crabs, friendly servers and fair prices seal the deal. •• 210 Garfield Pkwy., Bethany Beach, 537-4700

Desserts

Dining Icon

Editors, downstate •• Well over 40 years ago, a trio of mavericks with no experience in the restaurant business opened a place that offered a delicious alternative to then-typical beach fare of burgers, dogs and fried seafood. The Back Porch Café paved the way for every other chef and place that helped make Rehoboth a dining destination. •• 59 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach, 227-3674

Dinner Before the Show

Editors, downstate•• Just four doors from Clear Space Theatre, Café Azafran always provides an exceptional dining experience. So before you see “A Chorus Line” or “Legally Blonde the Musical” this month, make time for tapas such as baked goat cheese with olives, artichokes and roasted peppers, or for an entrée like bouillabaisse. •• 18 Baltimore Ave., Rehoboth Beach, 227-8100

Healthy Fare

Historic Dining

Editors, downstate••The Brick Hotel, situated on The Circle in the county seat of Sussex, was known as The Union Hotel during the Civil War era. The landmark, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, has served as a courthouse, post office and bank. Now it’s a restaurant and tavern that offers a long lunch menu that includes oyster stew, a salad of fried green tomatoes topped with jumbo lump crab, goat cheese with a honey drizzle, and plenty of melts, burgers and sandwiches. Dinners range from crab cakes to surf and turf to Italian and seafood dishes. There’s a creative roster of specialty martinis along with a serviceable beer and wine list. Tea parties can be scheduled on Thursdays, adding to the whole historical vibe. •• 18 The Circle, Georgetown, 855-5800

Homemade Pasta

Editors, downstate •• The newest location of Grandpa (MAC), on Del. 1, houses a machine that generates lotsa pasta: 90 pounds per hour. If that isn’t enough to tax your noodle, owners Hari and Orion Cameron employ a second pasta machine dedicated to producing the gluten-free variety. The brothers use seven different flours in their custom blend to produce the following pastas: small and large elbow, shells, orecchiette, campanelle, short spaghetti and rigatoni. Once there are oodles of noodles, it’s up to the customer to add sauces, meats and cheeses, among other ingredients, or to dial up creatively named dishes like Visualize World Peas: orecchiette, basil pesto, peas, pine nuts, Parmesan and bread crumbs. •• 33 Baltimore Ave., Rehoboth Beach, 727-5509 •• 18756 Coastal Hwy., Rehoboth Beach, 313-4751

Editors, downstate•• The landmark Rusty Rudder offers the usual fare: tasty appetizers and various salads to sandwiches and seafood entrées—and just about everything in between. But it may be what doesn’t appear on the menu that makes this a great lunch locale: a refreshing dose of salt air from Rehoboth Bay. Enjoying sunsets over the water is awesome, but observing the comings and goings of boaters, sunbathers and other beach types—all while sipping a specialty drink—can be people-watching at its finest. •• 113 Dickinson St., Dewey Beach, 227-3888

Makeover

Editors, downstate•• A $250,000 renovation made Cool Springs Fish Bar & Restaurant as fresh as the seafood it serves, but it’s the seafood—and owner-chef Dennis Forbes’ commitment to consistent high quality—that keeps diners going back year after year after year. The menu is stacked with classics such as stuffed flounder, crab imperial, local rockfish and amazing crab cakes, plus a few items for landlubbers. We have dreams about the oyster sashimi. •• 2463 S. State St., Dover, 698-1955

Margaritas

Editors, downstate •• Why are they so great at Qué Pasa? Because you drink them on the beach. •• 124 Dickinson St., Dewey Beach, 226-1680

Mussels

Editors, downstate•• Owners of The Pig and Publican love to flex their mussels—all five varieties. And what more appropriate location than between the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal and Delaware Bay? These beautiful bivalves, served as appetizers, are dressed in a number of delicious concoctions, including with bratwurst, tomato, capers and Belgian ale; with merguez sausage and roasted peppers in saffron broth; and with Parmesan and leeks in a Chardonnay cream. All are slurped swimmingly with one of P&P’s Belgian craft brews. •• 516 E. Savannah Road, Lewes, 313-4487

Seafood

Secret Spot

Editors, downstate•• You’ll wander through the shanties of the Village of Fenwick before finding The Flying Fish Café & Sushi Bar. When you do, prepare for amazing yet unheralded sushi. Be sure to make a reservation beforehand—“intimate” barely describes the place. True aficionados of sushi visit for the freshest of fish, the variety and unique rolls, such as silky scallop with a yuzu-citrus mayo and avocado all topped with diced scallion and jumbo lumps of crab. •• 300 Coastal Hwy., No. 7, Fenwick Island, 581-0217

Service

Small Plates

Soul Food

Editors, downstate•• Chef Lincoln Notice of Karibbean Grill BBQ marinates his jerk chicken and pork chops for two days before he adds his secret blend of seasonings. He then grills the meat to perfection, basting it with a 20-ingredient homemade jerk sauce. Born in Jamaica and raised in Brooklyn, Notice learned to cook at a young age—and he’s only getting better. He’s also known for authentic stewed oxtail—which simmers in carrots, butter beans, green peppers and other aromatic vegetables. There’s no denying, Notice’s Jamaican specialties, along with his ribs and chicken, are prepared with the perfect amounts of herbs, spices and soul. •• 3114 S. Dupont Blvd., Smyrna, 423-0839

Steakhouse

Steaks and More

Editors, downstate•• The title of the steak section of the menu at Bonz Restaurant & Lounge pays homage to the accompanying casino—Raising the Steaks—and that’s where you’ll hit the real jackpot, whether it’s an 8-ounce filet mignon, a juicy New York strip or the granddaddy of them all: the 26-ounce, bone-in, center-cut rib eye. Enjoy your meal in the upscale dining room or on the shaded patio, where you’ll find live entertainment on Country Fridays, featuring local faves such as the Mason Dixon Band, and Dance Party Saturdays with popular bands like Mike Hines and the Look. •• 18500 S. Dupont Hwy., Harrington, 887-5687

Sushi

Tavern

Editors, downstate •• While locals still rule—at least during the ever-shortening shoulder season—Irish Eyes Restaurant & Pub is a standout spot for regulars and visitors alike to enjoy happy hour specials, grab a snack or a meal, and catch some of the best bands around. The beer list boasts plenty of domestic and imported brews, a good number of craft beers, local offerings from Dogfish Head, 16 Mile and Mispillion River Brewing, and a decent mix of brands on tap. Whether it’s the Lewes or Milton location, Irish Eyes has folks smiling. •• 213 Anglers Road, Lewes, 645-6888 •• 105 Union St., Milton, 684-8889

Wine List

Wings

Editors, downstate •• We love that you can pick sauces and coatings that range from Buffalo sauce to Old Bay for your wings at Hammerheads Dockside. What we love even more? You eat them on the beach. Looking at boats docked at the marina. Maybe while the sun is setting. ••39415 Inlet Road, Rehoboth Beach, 752-8010

Distillery/Craft Spirits

Editors, downstate•• Anyone with a memory enough to remember the long-gone Candy Manor store wins our admiration. To name their craft gin after it is genius. That kind of creativity defines the spirits from Painted Stave Distilling. It’s been around long enough to offer barrel-aged rye and bourbon. We enjoy the smoky coffee tones of Time Warp vodka, but the one that gets us is Off the Hoof scrapple vodka. Who’da thunk it? •• 106 W. Commerce St., Smyrna, 653-6834

Ice Cream

Neighborhood Market

Editors, downstate •• Every Rehoboth-Henlopen Acres local knows: You don’t shop for groceries during weekends in the summer. When you’re stuck without that one must-have, walk to Lingo’s Market. It stocks everything you could need, and should you find yourself in need of a baguette and some cheese, Lingo’s has you covered. •• 149 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach, 227-7072